FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2013, file photo, BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy looks on in the fourth quarter during an NCAA college football game against Middle Tennessee, in Provo, Utah. The Detroit Lions selected Van Noy in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday, May 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Traditionally, consistency has not been a forte for the Detroit Lions.

Mixed messages has long been their way during the NFL Draft.

They had been on a very good track in this version until late during Day 2 on Friday night.

Then, the Lions reverted back to their old, bad habits.

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After getting necessary playmakers to make a run at a playoff spot in 2014 by selecting tight end Eric Ebron from North Carolina Thursday in the first round, and linebacker Kyle Van Noy from Brigham Young in the second round Friday, the Lions derailed by selecting Arkansas center Travis Swanson in the third round.

The Lions needed to select a player in the secondary in that spot. There were plenty of options available, including Florida State safety Terrence Brooks, who went a couple selections later to the Baltimore Ravens, and Rice cornerback Philip Gaines, drafted by Kansas City after Detroit took Sawnson.

This is not meant to be a knock on Swanson, but the Lions already have a center in Dominic Raiola. Sure, he is 35, and this may be his last year, but he had a good season in 2013 and rarely misses games.

Especially after giving up their original fourth-round pick in a trade with Seattle to choose Van Noy, the Lions needed to get a quality defensive back in the third round.

t turned the elation of selecting Van Noy sour.

Van Noy is an excellent football player. Lions’ general manager Martin Mayhew said that while watching BYU late in the 2012 season to see 2013 first-round pick, defensive end Ziggy Ansah, Van Noy stood out.

He has the necessarily size and speed to be a starting NFL combo linebacker. Van Noy is not a specialist. He is, as Lions’ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said, “A 3-down player.”

But he does rush the passer well off the edge. The Lions have two very good linebackers in Stephen Tulloch and DeAndre Levy, but neither is a pass rusher. Van Noy brings that skill to the dance.

It would be surprising if he doesn’t start immediately. It would not be a surprise if he becomes a Pro Bowl caliber player and immediate fan favorite.

Van Noy draws raves for his competitive character. He not only roomed with Ansah in college, but is credited for teaching him how to train for football. Van Noy was a four-star recruit out of high school and turned down Oregon, LSU and Nebraska to attend BYU.

“Kyle is like a brother to me,” Ansah said of Van Noy in a December, 2012 Sports Illustrated article. “I love him. We watched a lot of film, and he taught me to stay low.”

It cost the Lions moving down to the fifth round from the fourth round, but they have two compensatory picks at the end of the fourth round anyway. It is unlikely Van Noy would have lasted until 45th overall. He was taken at No.40.

Swanson did have good value given where he was selected in the draft. There were draft gurus who saw him as a potential second-round pick. He can play guard, too, so there is some versatility. Offensive line depth is important. Nobody is saying it isn’t.

But it is much less needed on the offensive line than secondary currently for the Lions.

There is a high probability Ebron and Van Noy will make big plays for the Lions in 2014. Swanson will not, and not only because of his position. There is a chance he will rarely play.

Given the Lions’ circumstance at this stage (isn’t it win now), makes Swanson’s selection on the second day of this NFL Draft disappointing.